Coat-holder



(No Model.)

R. RUSK.

GOAT HOLDER.

No. 447,976. PatentedM-ar. 10 1891.

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'UNITED STAT S PATENT OFFICE.

HUGH RICHARD RUSK, OF RUTHERFORD, NEIV JERSEY.

COAT-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 447,976, dated March 10, 1891.

Application filed July 9, 1890. Serial No. 358,175. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern-.-

Be it known that I, HUGH RICHARD RUSK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rutherford, in the county of Bergen and State of New Jersey, have invented a' new and useful Coat-Holder, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to a coat-holder; and among the obj ectsin view are to provide a cheap and simple device adapted for supporting coats, shawls, 850., said device being designed for application to the backsof chairs or seats in theaters, railway-coaches, or to other convenient points, and so constructed as when not in use to automatically contract and avoid being in the way.

\Vith the above general objectsin view the invention consists in a supporting-chain connected at its ends to the back of a chair or other point, and in such a manner as to be slack, and, furthermore, in a coiled spring inclosing the chain and having its ends connected to links in the chain located near the ends of the latter, so that said chain is drawn taut between its points of connection with the chair-back and the spring, and by the same movement of the spring is slackened in that portion of its length lying inside of and between the terminals of the coils of the springs.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a rear elevation of a portion of a railway-chair, the same being provided with a coat-holder constructed in accordance with my invention, a coat being supported by the holder. Fig. 2 is a detail in elevation of the holder, the same being shown in its conLracted posi-- tion and applied. Fig. 3 is a detail of a portion of the chain, illustrating the preferred form of link employed.

Like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all the figures of the drawings.

1 designates the back of a chair, or it may be a wall or other suitable support, in which is inserted a suitable distance apart a pair of opposite screw-eyes 2.

3 designates a chain of a length greater than the distance between the screwey'es, the ends of the chain being connected to said eyes. The chain is preferably formed of elliptical or elongated links, so that the same as a whole iszcapable of contraction to a degree that will accord with the distance between the eyes 2.

4. designates a coiled spring, through which passes the chain, said spring being of a length nearly to agree with the distance between the screw-eyes, and has it ends or terminals connected, as at 5, to opposite links of the chain, which links occur near said eyes, as shown. The nature of' the spring is such that by the insertion of a coat, as shown in Fig. 1, said spring will be relaxed or stretched, the relaxation being limited by the length of the chain, so that the chain sustains the weight of the garment supported thereby, as will be readily apparent. In this manner coats may be supported conveniently from the backs of chairs or the walls of coaches, and thus not encumber the chairs and the passages.

By locating the device upon the upper edge or top of the back of the chair the device may be employed either to the back or front of the back, and in the latter instance coats or shawls may be thus secured in position so that they will answer as a head-rest for the occupant of the chair. As soon as the garment is removed and the chain relieved of its weight the spring is released and automatically contracts, thus drawing the chain taut between the eyes and returning to a position between said eyes, whereby it is out of the way of persons occupying the seat.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is In a coat-holder, the combination, with a chain and suitable suspension devices to which the ends of the chain are attached and between which the chain is slack, of a coiled spring through which the chain is passed, the spring being of a less length than the distance between the suspension devices and having its ends connected to links of the chain a short distance from the ends thereof, and serving to draw taut those portions thereof lying between the suspension devices and the ends of the spring and to slacken that portion thereof lying inside of and between the terminal coils of the springs, substan-- 

